As the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, several actors have come forward to share their residual checks. Streaming residuals stand as a major point of concern for both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America.
WGA captain Caroline Renard shared a TikTok from “P-Valley” star Brandee Evans. In the video, which was posted in May prior to the latest strike, Evans shares three residual checks from SAG-AFTRA. The first two checks are for $3.99 and $4.67, respectively, and the third one is for $0.01.
Evans plays series lead Mercedes Woodbine on the Starz original and has appeared in 17 of 18 episodes of the GLAAD and TCA-nominated series.
The trend of highlighting these residual posts started in earnest last Saturday when a TikTok from “Orange Is the New Black” actor Kimiko Glenn resurfaced, showing that one of her residual checks from the award-winning Netflix drama was for $27.30. The video was originally posted in December 2020. Glenn appeared in 44 episodes of the Jenji Kohan dramedy as the inmate Brook Soso.
Since then, other actors have come forward about how much they’ve been paid. On Friday, the first day of the SAG strike, Kim Rhodes revealed that her “1600 sq foot home” was foreclosed on that that she lost insurance for herself, her husband and her child “because of the residual structure.” This happened as Rhodes starred in the Disney Channel series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” which according to Rhodes, aired episodes on the channel “eight times a week, minimum.”
Jana Schmieding chimed in soon after on Sunday. For her role as Bev on FX and Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs,” Schmieding has made $0.03 each quarter. This includes unlimited worldwide streams on FX, Disney+ and Hulu. The actor has appeared in five episodes of the series to date.
However, her residuals as a leading star aren’t much better. For the two-season Peacock original, Schmieding shared that she received $33.15 for one quarter.
Earlier this month, “What We Do in the Shadows” star Mark Proksch also told TheWrap that his residuals from “The Office” are more than all the residuals he’s earned from five seasons of “What We Do in the Shadows” combined.
When it comes to television, residuals refer to a form of royalty payment for performers and creators. Every time an episode of a show like “Friends” reruns, the creators and cast receive money from that episode. But in the era of streaming and viewership numbers that are kept close to the vest, those checks have become smaller and smaller. A form of payment that used to be essential to actors’ survival has now largely disappeared.
Find all of TheWrap’s strike-related coverage here.
